As a UC Davis alumnus/a, you have probably heard of the UC Davis Internship and Career Center (ICC). But, what you may not know is that the ICC is not just for undergraduate students and alumni. It also serves master’s and doctoral degree students, postdoctoral scholars and advanced degree alumni. It’s not typical of a university to provide these services to the graduate community, but it is how things are done at UC Davis.  

We checked-in with Bethany Hopkins, Ph.D. ’15, a senior career advisor for master’s, Ph.D., postdocs and alumni at the ICC (who also happens to be a graduate-degree alumna of UC Davis) to learn more about how the ICC can help you—the graduate alumni community—no matter where you live.  

Tip 1: Visit ICC YouTube Channel 

During the past two years, ICC has invested a significant amount of time and energy to create a robust YouTube channel that is filled with dozens of videos on everything from interviewing tips to networking. They even have a playlist specifically for advanced degree students and alumni, which includes tutorial videos and recordings of workshops and speaker series that cover topics pertinent to advanced degree students and alumni, such as turning a CV into a resume or how to start your academic career. 

“Our YouTube channel existed before, but really wasn’t utilized,” Hopkins said. “But now it’s really robust and has a lot of good information. I think a lot of folks aren’t aware or using it as much as they should.” 

Tip 2: Create a Handshake Account 

Creating a Handshake account is a must if you want to really leverage the ICC for helping you launch or change your career. Handshake, which replaced Aggie Job Link a few years ago, is an online portal that is free to UC Davis students, scholars and alumni. It is a one-stop shop for accessing job postings for open positions or attend virtual recruiting events. Alumni who have graduated in the past two years can access Handshake using their UC Davis login credentials. Those alumni who graduated more than two years ago simply need to send an email to ICC and request login credentials.  

Tip 3: Attend a Job Fair, Workshop or Event 

Every quarter the ICC hosts job fairs that are open to UC Davis students and alumni of all degree levels. Each fall, there is a job fair specifically for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Currently, ICC job fairs are held virtually, so they are accessible to anyone with a UC Davis Handshake account.  

“You have to be proactive and sign up for these fairs in advance because they can fill up quickly,” Hopkins said. “And it helps to already have your Handshake account set up because employers can access your profile and resume once your register.”  

ICC also hosts numerous 50-minute workshops throughout the year, which Hopkins says are a great way to get a quick overview on a variety of different career-related topics. Hopkins often hosts workshop events specifically for advanced degree students and alumni. These workshops are also recorded so they can be accessed after the event is over. 

Tip 4: Visit ICC’s Website 

The ICC website is full of valuable information for job hunting that is accessible for students and alumni of all degree levels. On the ICC website there are strategies and resources for finding career positions, information on how to effectively conduct salary negotiations, discussions on the difference between a CV and a resume, and much more. 

Tip 5: Subscribe to ICC E-Newsletter 

Don’t have time to dig through websites to find the latest job postings, but still want to be in the know about the latest career events and job openings? Then subscribing to the ICC’s e-newsletters is a great option for you. The ICC newsletters deliver the latest career opportunities and ICC events right to your inbox. You can sign up for emails that are tailored to your industry or fields of study. Plus, their weekly GradCareers newsletter is specifically for master’s and Ph.D. students, postdoctoral scholars and advanced degree alumni. 

Tip 6: Schedule a personal appointment 

Recent alumni—meaning those who have graduated one year ago or less—get full access to all the services ICC provides including one-on-one appointments. Recent alumni of all degree levels can schedule a 30-minute appointment with a senior career advisor either in-person, over the phone or through a video call. At these appointments, you can do everything from review your CV to discuss networking strategies to receive interview help. Doctoral and postdoctoral alumni who are within one year of graduation can schedule 60-minute appointments to review faculty job applications. All appointments are free. 

Tip 7: Volunteer and give back 

ICC is always looking for alumni who are willing to volunteer their time to help advanced degree UC Davis students. It can be as simple as attending a networking event or being a guest speaker at a virtual workshop.  

“We love having our grad alumni stay connected,” Hopkins said. 

Serving as a guest speaker or expert panelist is not only a great way to give back to UC Davis, it can also help boost your own resume or progress your efforts to establish yourself as an expert in your field. If interested, email iccreception@ucdavis.edu with the subject line 
“Grad alumni involvement.” 

“It’s worth checking us out, especially if you haven’t visited us in the past year or two,” Hopkins said, “because we’ve made a lot of changes and there are a lot of services that are available to advanced degree alumni, even if you’re not in the region. It’s worth seeing if there’s something we have that might be a good fit for you.” 

Have other questions about how the ICC can help you with your career goals? Email iccreception@ucdavis.edu.